The present invention is related to valves and in particular to a reverse flow relief valve employed in a bleed air system.
Aircraft systems rely, at least in part, on the pneumatic power provided by bleed air taken from the aircraft engines to do work on the aircraft. Complex systems of valves and ducts communicate and regulate the supply of bleed air from the engine to various components around the aircraft, including the environmental control systems (ECS). Values are used to regulate the supply of bleed air from the engine(s) (i.e., upstream source) to various pneumatic loads (i.e., downstream loads). During normal operation, a valve may be selectively opened/closed to regulate the downstream pressure as desired. However, during some fault conditions the downstream pressure may be greater than the upstream pressure, resulting in a reverse flow of pressurized air into the engine. This reverse flow can be detrimental to engine operation.